We are just getting black rock chickens so the more advice on looking after them the better please?

Question

We are just getting black rock chickens so the more advice on looking after them the better please?

Answer 1

Black rocks are good layers and good producers of eggs. I fed mine a dry mix of grain, always access to fresh water, and let them roam free range, and they rewarded us with wonderful eggs. Ask the seller if they have been vaccinated.

They should naturally go to roost as the light falls in the evening, close the hen house door to ensure fox's are kept out, they will kill them but not necessarily eat them.

Keep the hen house clean and well ventilated, change the straw and wash the flooring.

You will enjoy keeping these lovely birds. It's several years now since I had mine and they died of old age and natural causes did not have the heart to slaughter them.

Answer 2

Hi,

I keep just over a dozen black rocks (plus a few rhodys) and find they're a superb all round breed and very hardy. They're pretty easy to look after:

1. Housing - I have a 6 x 4 shed which we added a shelf for roosting (a chicken still has an instinct not to sleep on the ground and seem to prefer the shelf) and a couple of simple ply nest boxes for laying. I usually just have straw on the floor (occassionally some sawdust under it as it soaks up any moisture).

2. Feeding - I have a 20kg King Feeder (costs £22) which I fill up once a fortnight. I have it apx 10" off the floor on a log. They have a mostly layers pellets with some corn available in spring hopper and they get all food waste including some meat (whatever the dog doesn't have).

3. Water - Some form of drinker is needed, whatever you choose (depending on the number of birds) it needs to be off the floor to stop it filling up with dirt and checked daily. I had a large 30ltr hopper drinker before we fitted a gravity fed drinker from a water tank which we top up every month.

4. Health - Generally chickens don't get ill, in the past 3 years I've had two problems with red mite and one of gape.

Red mite is a small sort of lice that lives on the chickens and in the chicken shed and eats blood. It may sound horrible but its easily treatable with a powder for the chicken and an aerosol for the shed. Gape occurred mostly in my pheasants with the odd chicken starting to cough. It is a small parasite that resides in the gullet of the bird causing mild discomfort. Again its not a bad as it sounds and easily treatable with some powder in the food.

5. Eggs - The last point to add is collecting eggs regurlarly. Should a hen be left with a number of eggs for more than a few days she will possibly go broody (whether they're fertile or not). Black rocks make excellent broodys.

Hope this helps. Having chickens is great - I wouldn't be without mine :-)

Answer 3

Black rock hens tend to be hardy birds but if you're after more information on keeping chickens, check out this site it's a great resource!

http://www.henkeeping.co.uk

Answer 4

I dont know